Rubber tire for vehicles.



No. 633,539. Patented Sept. I9, |899.

c. H. w s; RUBBER TIRE R E ES.

(Application led Dsc, 8, 1898 UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES H. IrVHEELFR, OF AKRON, OHIO.

RUBBER TIRE FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,539, datedSeptember 19, 1899. v

pplication died December 3, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.;

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. WHEELER, of Akron,in the county of Summitand State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements inRubber Tires for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rubber tires for vehicles, and has for itsobject to provide a tire having a tread portion or tire proper ofrubberseated within a channeled metallic rim adapted to be applied to avehicle-wheel, the construction being such that the rubber tire will befirmly held in place within the metallic rim by means of one or moreretainingwires, while at the same time cutting of the rubber by theaction of the retaining devices and of the rim will be prevented.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features, which Iwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective View, partly intransverse section, of a portion of a tire embodying my invention. Fig.2 isa central'longitudinal sectional view through the rubber portion ofthe tire or tire proper, the retaining-wire and plates being shown inelevation.v Fig. 3 is a plan view, the rubber being shown in section onthe line 8 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional viewillustrating certain modifications of the structural details, and Fig. 5is a transverse sectional view illustrating a modified form of theretaining-plates.

My improved tire comprises a metallic rim l0, annular in forin to fitupon the felly of a vehicle-wheel. This rim is grooved or chan-v neled,as indicated in section in Figs. l and the sides of the groove beingformed by outwardly extending flanges ll, which diverge from each otherin an outward direction away from the wheel-center and which arepreferably rounded at their cXtreme outer edges and upon their exposedlateral surfaces, as shown in the drawings. In connection with thismetallic rim I employ a tire proper,

2, which is made of rubber, which is preferably of a configuration setforth in Design Letters Patent No. 26,338, granted November 24, 1806, toJesse Lyman Dann. In this Serial No. 698,200. (No model.)

construction the inner portion of the tire, which lies within thechannel of the rim, is shaped to conform to said channel or, in otherwords,is of a decreasing width inward toward the center of the wheel,while its outer or exposed portion is first conca'ved or inwardlyrounded and then outwardly rounded as to its outer portion or apex. Thetire is so proportioned to and located within the rim that the angle ofjunction between the inner and outer portions thereof lies at or outwardbeyond the outer periphery of the iianges ll, the concavity of the sidesof the tire beyond said iianges preventing the outer or exposed portionof the-rubber from being forced over the edges of the flanges and beingthereby cut or injured and the rounding of the said edges of the angesserving also to protect the rubber from injury in this manner.Furthermore, the location of the angle of meeting of the outer and innerportions of the rubber at or outwardly beyond the outer periphery of theiianges serves to prevent particles of dirt or other substances fromentering between the rubber and the rim and thereby tending to damageand displace thetire. The inner portion of the tire, which is inclosedwithin the channel, is provided on its under side with a strengtheningor reinforcing strip 13 of canvas or other suitable fabric or material.

While I prefer to give to the tire proper the con figuration andrelative proportions and arrangement to the rim just described, the mainfeature of my invention, to be hereinafter described, is applicable toother forms and proportions of tire.

The rubber tire is provided with an aperture or passage li, extendingcontinuously therethrough to receive the retaining-wire l5. Thisaperture may be located either at or below or above the plane of themeeting angles of the outer and inner portions of the tire, so that whenthe several parts are assembled said wire may lie either at or above orbelow the outer periphery of the flanges of the inetallic rim. Inconjunction with the retaining-wire l5 I employ a plurality ofretainingplates 16, which are embedded in and vulcanized to the rubberin such a manner as to cause the rubber and the plates to firmly adlOOhere to each other, the plates being not loose in the rubber and beingincapable of movement relatively thereto. These retainingplates may beof any material of suitable rigidity, being preferably made of metal,such as steel or brass, and lying below the line of the aperture orpassage 14, and consequently between the retaining-wire and the bottomof the rim l0. Each plate is of a width slightly less than the width ofthe channel of the rim at the bottom thereof and is curved to correspondto the curvature of the rim longitudinally offthe tire, as indicated inFig. 2. Each plate is also provided with an outwardlyextending loop oreye 17, which has a passage 18 therethrough for the retaining-wire 15. 1employ the term loop or eye to indicate this part for the reason that Iprefer to employ such a loop or eye which entirely incloses or surroundsthe wire, forming substantially a continuation or portion of theaperture or passage 14; but I wish it understood that it is onlyessential for the purposes of my invention that said loop or eye shouldembrace the wire at the sides thereof, so as to prevent lateral movementof the wire relatively to the rim without tilting of theretaining-plates, so that I wish to be understood as includingin saidterm loop or eye a construction in which the outer part of said loop oreye may be omitted.

The edges of the retaining-plates will be rounded ott, as shown, inorder to prevent cutting ofthe rubber at its points of contact with saidangles, and where the plates are made of a material such as brass, whichis not characterized by the highest degree of rigidity, they may betapered, so as to be of increasing thickness at their central portion,as indicated in section in Fig. 1, although .this taper may be omittedwhen the plates are made of steel or other highly rigid material.

The particular details of construction hereinbefore specificallydescribed while deemed advantageous may be varied without departing fromthe principle of my invention. As an illustration of this I haveindicated in Fig. 4 a construction which differs from that shown in Fig.1 in that the flanges and bottom of the metallic rim do not meet at anangle internally, but are rounded at theirjunction, the rubber tirebeing similarly rounded and the outer lateral edges or portions of theretaining-plates being correspondingly curved upward and outward tomaintain a sufficient thickness of rubber between said plates and themetallic rim at these points. I have also shown in Fig. 5 a modifiedform of retaining-plate in which the loop or eye is formed by cuttingtwo parallel slits through the plate and forcing the strip thus formedupward by means of suitable dies. body of the plate may be depressed atthe same time, as indicated indotted lines of said figure, in which casethe passage is formed partly in the plate and partly in the strip.

. By the employment of the retaining-plates The embedded and held in therubber and engaged with the retaining-wire I am enabled to preventdisplacement of the wire and of the rubber tire from the rim and also toprevent the wire from cutting and destroying the rubber tire, for itwill be seen that upon any attempt to move the wire laterally withrespect to the rim such movement is resisted by the retaining-plate,which, owing to its being embedded in and adhering to the rubber, cannotmove bodily in a lateral direction and which is prevented from tilting,so as to permit an outward movement of the wire, by reason of its broadbearing upon the rubber immediately above and adjacent to the bottom ofthe rim. The wire cannot move laterally without lateral movement of theretaining-plates, and these latter cannot move in this manner for thereason juststated. Moreover, the retaining-plates being embedded in andadhering to the rubber cannot move relatively to this latter and willnot, therefore, tend to cut or fracture the 'rubber, as would be thecase if they were capable of movement relatively thereto and werethereby adapted to enlarge and increase the opening formed by the spacebetween them and the surrounding rubber. Furthermore, where theretaining-plates are provided with eyes which completely surround theretaining-wire there is a tendency for said wire to bind in the eyeswhen the :rubber tire is in place in the rim owing to the fact that the-wire is curved between the eyes and has a natural tendency tostraighten itself, which tendency is exerted against the walls of theeyes and causes a binding of the wire in the eyes which preventslongitudinal moving or creeping of the wire within the tire.

It will be understood, of course, that the several parts are assembledin the manner usual in tires of this description, the Wire being passedthrough the aperture or passage 14 in the rubber and through theopenings 1S in the eyes 17, the opening in' the eye being somewhatlarger than the wire, so as to compensate for deviation in molding. Therubber is then compressed on the wire and the exposed ends of thelatterjoined by brazing, Welding, electrically or otherwise,intertwisting, or in any other suitable manner. The rubber is thenreleased and its meeting ends cemented together and the rubber tireplaced within the metallic rim in any approved manner, or the ends ofthe wire and rubber may be joined after the tire is placed within therim. 1f desired, two retaining-wires may be employed, the rubber tirebeing provided with two apertures o r passages and each re taining-platebeing provided Withvtwo eyes or loops. My present invention is, however,

more particularly adapted for use with a single retaining-wire, beingdevised to that end, and the construction being such by reason of thebroad bearing of the retaining-plates that efficiency in preventing theunseating of 4the tire isobtained by the use ot such plates IIO with asingle retaining-Wire equal to or greater than that obtained by the useof two retain ing-wires, and I am thus enabled to dispense with one ofthe two retaining-wires usually employed in tires of this description.

In order to more firmly and intimately unite the retaining-plates withthe rubber of the tire, I prefer to form apertures through said plates,as indicated at 19 in Figs. 2 and 3, the rubber extending through saidapertures and uniting the body of rubber lying above said plate withthat lying below it, and thereby still more firmly uniting the platewith the rubber of which the tire is composed. It should be understood,however, that the advantages attendant upon my improved construction maybe attained in a great measure and to a satisfactory extent withoutpermanently unitingr the retaining-plates to the rubber of the tire inthe manner hereinbefore set forth by causing adhesion of the sur-l facesof the two and by employing aperturesV in the plates through which therubber may extend, as an operative structure may be produced by simplyinclosing the plates in the rubber. Various other modifications willsuggest themselves, and I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the precise details hereinbefore described, and shown in theaccompanying drawings.

I am aware that ithas been heretofore proposed to employ wire links inthe molding of rubber tires for the purpose of properly centering theWire cores by means of which the apertures for the retaining-wires areformed, said links being arranged edgewise with respect to the rim andbeing left in the tire after it is molded. My present invention isdistinguished from such a construction by reason of the fact that Iemploy plates having an extend ed bearing-surface and arrangednotedgewise to but parallel with the body of the rim and serving by suchextended bearing to prevent any disengagement of the tire by reason ofthe impossibility of their tilting under strain, as hereinbefore pointedout. Such plates being located at separatedpoints or intervals withinthe tire and not directly connected with each other preserve theflexibility and resiliency of the tire and facilitate its application tothe rim of the wheel.

1l. The combination, with a channeled me tallic rim, of a rubber tirefitting within said rim and provided with an aperture or passagethroughout its interior, independent retaining-plates, each having abroad bearingsurface,said retaining-plates being embedded in said rubbertire at separated points or intervals with their bearing-surfacessubstantially parallel to the bottom of the rim, and said plates beingprovided with eyes or loops, and a retaining-wire passing through theaperture or passage in the rubber tire and through the eyes-or loops ofthe retainingplates, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a channeled metallic rim, of a rubber tirefitting Within said rim and provided with a central aperture or passagethroughout its interior, independent retaining-plates, each having abroad bearing-surface, said retaining-plates being embedded in saidrubber tire at separated points or intervals with their bearing-surfacessubstantially parallel to the bottom of the rim, and each plate beingprovided with a central eye or loop, and a retaining-Wire passingthrough the aperture or passage in the rubber tire and through the eyesor loops of the retaining-plates, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a channeled metallic rim, of a rubber tirefitting Within said rim and provided with an aperture or passagethroughout its interior, independent retaining-plates, each having abroad bearingsu rfac'e,said retaining-plates being embedded in andpermanently united by adhesion to said rubber tire at separated pointsor intervals with their bearing-surfaces substantially parallel to thebottom of the rim, and a retaining-Wire passing through the aperture orpassage in the rubber tire and through the eyes or loops of theretaining-plates, substantially as described.

et. The combination, with a channeled metallic rim, of a rubber tirefitting within said rim and provided with a central aperture or passagethroughout its interior, a plurality of independent retaining-plates,each having a broad bearing'surface, said retaining-plates beingembedded in said rubber tire at separated points or intervals with theirbearingsurfaces substantially parallel to the bottom of the rim withinthe outer periphery there of and provided with an outwardly-extendingeye or loop, and a retaining-Wire passing through the aperture orpassage in the rubber tire and through the eyes or loops of theretaining-plates, substantially as' described.

The combination, with a metallic rim having outwardly-diverging flangesforming a channel, of a rubber tire having a correspondingly-shapedinner portion to fit said channel and an outer portion the sides ofwhich are at an angle to the inner portion and hollowed or concavedadjacent to the lines of junction, which are located at or outward fromthe outward .periphery of said iianges, said rubber tire having anaperture or passage throughout its interior, independentretaining-plates, each having a broad bearing-surface, saidretaining-plates being embedded in said rubber tire at separated pointsor inter vals with their bearing-surfaces substantially IOO IIC)

IZO

